16 y/o with an AR15?

[NavyLCDR]

I bought my wife an AR-15 when she was 20. She loved it. flash forward 7 yrs. It hardly ever gets shot. Unless you have a specific use in mind (hunting, target shooting, competition, etc.) you may find that after a while, the coolness of owning an AR wears off. Not saying it will, just a thought.

+1

Ah, yes the 'Evil Black Rifle' effect.

It sounds like the OP's purpose for this gun is for fun. To be honest, my perception is that the OP is also suffering from the "Evil Black Rifle effect."

It all comes down to what a person thinks is fun, and how much money they are willing to spend to have that fun.

I have a Ruger 10/22 with a $300 two-stage match trigger set at 18/12 oz pull weight, match grade bull barrel and thumbhole stock. To me, fun is being able to enter a 100 yard bench rest competition and taking 2nd place out of 11 shooters with a .22 with a BSA Sweet .22 scope on it. I was the only rimfire rifle in the group and the other guys were shooting $2,000+ rifles and scopes with .223 being the lowest caliber and most of them handloaded their own competition ammo.

I love handing my gun to someone and saying, "Here.... try this." After putting 10 rounds that cost $.09 each into a quarter sized group at 100 yards with the 18 oz smooth as melted butter trigger they walk away usually saying, "OMG, I want one of those!"

To some people, that just isn't fun though. They want to put a man-sized silhouette out at 200 or 300 yards and are happy to keep 30 rounds that cost $.40 to $.50 each in the silhouette shot within 15 seconds.

My personal advice would be to get a 10/22 and make it into what you want. The OP is 16. There's plenty of time to figure things out. You can take the 10/22 and turn it into a tack driver or you can turn it into an "evil black rifle" AND, at the same time, make dad happy for a couple of years. But, of course, my advice may not fit you, and there is nothing wrong with that.

And - yes - if you give dad the money to buy a gun for you from a dealer you and your dad have both committed Federal felonies, BTW.

 

[devildave31]

"And - yes - if you give dad the money to buy a gun for you from a dealer you and your dad have both committed Federal felonies, BTW. "

I would disagree to an extent. I personally believe that within a family situation, if done properly, this does not fit the intent of the law. the problem is that to a government beaurocrat who doesn't apply common sense, then, yes this may violate the letter of the law. As far as I'm aware It's not Illegal to front your dad money to buy a rifle that gets checked in his name, and then once you are 18, have it transferred to your name. I could be wrong on this, but like I said before check and double-check the law.


If you do decide to go with a .22, I would suggest a Savage MkII. I picked mine up used with a cheesy 4x scope for $160 and it's a tack driver too. The longest distance I have shot it was 50 yds, but two 10 rd mags fit into a group that could be covered with a quarter, with maybe one or two strays out of 20.

 

[glock36]

If you truly want a AR-15 and you have the means to pay for it then by all means go for it.
I bought my firs AR when I was 16 back in Wyoming almost 30 years ago and never looked back. Just always follow the safety rules and enjoy that thing.
Good luck
God speed

 

[mptrimshop]

ask Old Fluff....he know every thing

 

[M1key]

If your dad thinks ARs are too dangerous, show him this picture...

 

[NavyLCDR]

I think they need 30 round magazines to take over the world, though.

 

[General Geoff]

I think they need Beta C-mags to take over the world.

 

[IncredibleGord]

16 is not young. Just be smart.

 

[102511]

I like to shoot my AR but I love to shoot my Garand. It was my first rifle.
http://www.odcmp.com

For $1100 you could get a very nice Garand and some surplus ammo from the cmp. Its not as evil looking as the AR. It has more recoil but its manageable. Its a heavy gun. I have both and I would get a second Garand before an AR.

 

[armarsh]

I think that every adult needs to own four guns: A pistol, a centerfire rifle, a shotgun, and a 22 rifle.

If you buy used or surplus, you can get all four for the $1000 or so mentioned. A CZ82 pistol, a Mauser bolt action, a Rem 870 shotgun, and a 10/22. I think AR's are great too - I'm just mentioning other possibilities.

If your dad is willing to go along with a 22, do it without a fuss. Don't think of it as only getting a 22. Think of it as the first of four equally important parts. I have a son only a year younger than you, BTW.

 

[devildave31]

The Garand is definitely on my list of firearms that I would love to have one day.

 

[Full Metal Jacket]

this thread's beating a dead horse at this point guys lol

 

[Mr.Davis]

Quote;[So is an AR15 much worse than a .22? ]
If you dont know the difference between .223 and .22, I'd go out on a limb and say no, your not ready. How about a S&W M&P 1522? Looks like an AR but in .22 cal.

You're totally missing his point. He's asking if ARs are more tightly controlled legally than a .22.

The answer is that they're all the same in the eyes of the law.

 

[TexasRifleman]

this thread's beating a dead horse at this point guys lol

I tend to agree with this.

Please let us know what rifle you finally end up with. You've received some very good advice here, and a few rather strange responses you can skip over.